Chin-rest for violins.



v H. ZIEGLER. CHIN BEST FOR VIOLINS.

APPLIOATION'PILED JULY 10, 1908.

. 925,063 Patented June 15, 19

k am

amwm flzmrdizzylzz' 1 Y (Rhine/1 o HOWARD ZIEGLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GHINREST FOR VIOLINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10, 108.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 142.952.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HowAiu) ZinaLnii, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of lviaryland. have invented a new and useful Chinltest for Violins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to chin rests for violins and similar instruments and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a rest of the character indicated which consists primarily of a clamping mechanism adapted to be applied to the body of the instrument and which is provided with a bracket member or portion which is adapted to lie over the front wall of the instrument body. A jaw rest of peculiar configuration is mounted upon the said bracket and may be adjusted longitudinally along the same and may also be adjusted axially and when properly positioned is secured thereat. The said jaw rest is channeled along its entire length for the reception of the lower jaw portion of a performer and in one form the jaw rest is recessed at one end in order to provide space for the reception of the muscular portion of the lower jaw of a performer which occurs at the point of juncture between the upper and lower jaws of the head. By providing such a recess the movement on the part of a muscle at the point of juncture between the upper and lower jaws will not aifect the chin rest or the instrument to which it is attached. The advantage derived from so mounting the jaw rest is that the jaw rest may be positioned with relation to the body of the instrument in such manner as the fancy or comfort of the performer may suggest or as his physical condition may of necessity require. and thus the performer is afforded means whereby the instrument may be retained under perfect control and with practically no attention on his part thereby leaving the full faculties of the performer free to be exercised upon the instrument.

Another object of the invention consists of the novel arrangement and assemblage of parts as will be fully described hereinafter and when described other minor advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the fine art to which the invention relates.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a violin body with a chin rest applied thereto. Fig.

is a sectional view of the chin rest illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modilied form of a chm rest and Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the form of chin rest as illustrated in Fig.

The chin rest consists of the jaw rest 1 which is channeled or concaved along its entire length as at 2. In the form of jaw rest illustrated in Fig. l of the drawing the said part is provided at one end with a recess 8 through which the muscles of the performer at the point of juncture between the upper and lower jaws may protrude.

The clamp plate at is provided at its ends with screw rods 5. The clamp member (3 is provided with the screw rods 7. The turnbuckle sleeves 8 receive the screw threaded portions of the screw rods 5 and 7 and when turned axially are adapted to bring the screw rods 5 toward the screw rods 7 or move the said screw rods 5 away from the screw rods 7 according to the direction in which the said turn buckles are turned.

In the form of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing the bracket plate 9 is mounted upon the clamp member 6 and is provided with an elongated slot 10. The jaw rest 1 is positioned upon the bracket 9 and the washer 11 of resilient material is interposed between the said jaw rest 1 and the upper surface of the bracket 9. The said washer 11 forms a cushion. The screw 12 passes transversely through the bottom of the channel 2 of the jaw rest 1 also through the cushion 11 and through the slot 10. The disk 13 is screw threaded upon the lower end portion of is adapted to bear against the under side of the bracket plate 9. The block 1% is attached to the under side of the clamp member 6 and is adapted to engage the edge of the anterior side of the body of the violin.

In the form of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 1- of the drawing, the upper end portion of the screw rods 7 are continued into the bracket portion 9, which is adapted to extend over the anterior wall of the body of the instrument. The socket 15 is located under the bracket portion of the said screw rods 7 and the block 16 is located in the said socket 15. The screw 12 passes through the jaw rest 1 in the same manner described for the forms of the invention, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but the lower the said screw 12 and end of the said screw 12 is threaded into the clamp plate 17, which at its ends engage the parallel bracket extensions 9 of the rods 7.

In applying the chin rest to the body of an instrument, the turn buckle sleeves 8 are rotated so that the clamp plate 4c is moved away from the clamp member attached to the screw rods 7. The edge of the body of the instrument is then inserted between the clamp plate at and the block let as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing or the blocks 16, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 thereof, and the turn buckle sleeves are rotated so that the screw rods will be drawn toward the screw rods 7. Thus the edge of the body of the instrument is firmly clamped between the opposed clamp members of the chin rest structure. The performer may then loosen the disk as shown in Fig. 2 and by so doing the jaw rest 1 may be shifted longitudinally along the bracket 9 and furthermore the jaw rest 1 may be turned axially and when in proper position the disk 13 is tightened up upon the screw 12, whereby the said jaw rest will be firmly held with relation to the bracket 9 in the said adjusted position. It will also be seen that when the form of the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4: of the drawing is employed that by loosening the screw 12 the jaw rest 1 may be shifted longitudinally along the bracket extension 9 of the screw rods 7 and that also the said jaw rest 1 may be turned axially and when properly positioned the said screw 12 is tightened within the clamp plate 1'7 when the said jaw rest 1 will be retained in the said position. Thus it will be seen that a chin rest is provided in which the jaw rest may be so positioned to accommodate persons having long or short necks or who by preference or otherwise desire the head to rest upon the instrument at a desired angle. It will also be seen that the jaw rest is of such configuration as to receive the edge of the jaw and is not liable to be affected by muscular movements of the lower jaw on the part of the performer.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. A chin-rest comprisingasupport, means for attaching the same to an instrument, a j aw-rest mounted upon the support and adapted to be shifted along the support, and means for fixing the jaw-rest upon the support.

2. A chin-rest comprising a support, means for attaching the same to an instrument, a jaw-rest mounted upon the support and adapted to be shifted longitudinally of the support and turned axially, and means for securing the jaw-rest in an adjusted position.

3. A chin-rest comprising clamp members, a bracket carried by one of said members, a socket located under said bracket, a block located in said socket and a jaw-rest mounted upon the bracket.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereunto affiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HOIVARD ZIEGLER.

\Vitnesses V J As. M. IVALKER, IV. J. DILLON. 

